October 2015 Accomplishments

October 2015 Accomplishments

Teaching World War II: The ITC welcomed teachers to this professional development class on Oct. 6. Touring the "Our Part of Victory" exhibit, teachers learned how to use propaganda and ration books as primary sources in the classroom. Teachers also received an overview on additional resources the museum can offer for classes and activities on World War II.
Archaeology in the Classroom: On Oct. 20, Candice from the education department, who trained at the Project Archaeology Leadership Academy in Montana, introduced teachers to lessons from the Project Archaeology curriculum. The teachers learned how to take archaeological data into classrooms to teach about past cultures. On a tour of their own, the teachers used observation and inference in looking at a Back 40 building and the "Layers of Culture" exhibit on the main exhibit floor.

Celebrating Hispanic Culture at Cole High School: ITC educator Joe Contreras attended a special event at Cole High School on Oct. 14. The school’s Spanish classes and other disciplines and clubs explored aspects of Hispanic culture through art, performance, music and food. Joe assembled a collection of artifacts for display and presented on the lasting influence of Hispanic culture in Texas. He also prepared a Dia de los Muertos altar to demonstrate the blending of Old World and New World traditions.
Kerens Cotton Festival: ITC Educator Greg Garrett visited Kerens, Texas, helping to re-establish the museum’s link in the small rural community southeast of Dallas. Greg was able to teach the old styles of corn shucking, shelling and milling to about 200 visitors. The outreach effort lets these small communities know what the museum has to offer and how to access museum resources to enhance experiences in the classroom.

Archaeology Day at Mission San Jose: Candice and Lynn from the education team, along with five museum docents, attended this Oct. 17 community event and showed more than 200 visitors what someone might encounter when excavating an 1800s log cabin site. The team took along selected demonstration artifacts and details on the actual cabin used as a reference for the Dog Trot on the ITC’s Back 40.

Celebrating Sikh Culture in Texas: The Institute of Texan Cultures, with partners at Sikh Dharamsal, welcomed 60 Girl Scouts on Oct. 17, to work on a Sikh heritage badge. The scouts learned about the history and philosophy of the Sikhs and found many of their core values to be the same, particularly in service and good citizenship.

Naturalization: Every month, the Institute of Texan Cultures becomes a federal courthouse as some 250 petitioners take their oath of citizenship. A special October ceremony was held for children under the age of 18. The museum staff would like these children to have the opportunity to explore the museum when their day isn’t so busy, so the museum issued free admission vouchers to these young new citizens.

Welcome, Amber Phifer: Amber joined the Institute of Texan Cultures as the Advancement Relations and Membership Manager. She comes from the UTSA Alumni Affairs Office with an extensive background in market analysis. In her new position, she will oversee the ITC membership program and aspects of giving and event planning.

Partnering with the San Antonio Area Foundation: The Institute of Texan Cultures received a grant from the San Antonio Area Foundation to develop and administer teacher training and continuing education programs. The museum will work in a 14-county area, teaching workshops on bringing museum teaching methods and non-traditional techniques into the classroom. Museum teaching styles use objects, tactile and experiential learning to help students make more connections to history, making the experience intellectual, emotional and experiential – the three conditions for optimal learning and retention.

Constellation of Stars: Congratulations to ITC Executive Director Angelica Docog, named to the San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce Constellation of Stars. Nominated by UTSA President Ricardo Romo, Docog was cited as personifying the pillars of the chamber’s mission: to Advocate, Connect and Empower women.

Nuestra Historia: The ITC worked with Bexar County to open a public exhibit of Spanish Colonial archival documents for viewing at the Bexar County Courthouse. The preliminary exhibit, which helps tell the story of the founding of Bexar County and San Antonio, precedes a larger exhibition that will open in spring 2016. Dr. Sarah Z. Gould from the ITC was the principal curator of the exhibit.

Impact Around the World: The Institute of Texan Cultures welcomed a delegation of international representatives from cultural destinations, museums, government agencies and programs dealing with minorities. The trip was sponsored by the U.S. State Department. in collaboration with the San Antonio Council for International Visitors as a component of the International Visitor Leadership Program.